Work differentiation KS1

[ReallyShouldBeDoingSomethingElse]

DD is slightly advanced in some areas of the curriculum. This is something that has come about quite naturally because she is interested in stuff, likes reading and asks questions. She falls down on focus, perseverance, carelessness and coping socially in groups.

She can read the books being sent home from school fluently, with expression, good comprehension and have a relevant conversation about them. WRT numbers, she has a good grasp of basic sums and when to use them. ie she has never learned sums by rote or to do mental arithmetic like a calculator like some kids can but she knows how to use maths to work stuff out so can work out how to share 18 sweets between three friends for example.

The work at school just isn't grabbing her and she is saying it's boring. She hears the year 2's instructions as they're in a merged class and wishes she was doing their task instead of the year 1 task. We've had no communication since term started about what the children are doing work wise and DD isn't good at relaying it. I know from another parent that DD does phonics with the year 2 children.

I'm stuck between not wanting to be an annoying parent and worrying that DD might just disengage if she's already thinking things are boring. At the moment she is enthusiastic about learning generally and I want that to continue. I also want her to have to learn to persevere which means she needs to encounter work that she doesn't know how to do.

I've read threads on here talking about sideways learning which makes sense to me. I don't want to push her on ahead otherwise it'll perpetuate the problem but I want to engage her so that she doesn't lose the spark for learning. Without knowing what they're doing at school I can't meaningfully do sideways activities and nor do I want to tread on any toes.

I feel as though my first step is to meet with her teacher and ask for an insight into the work they are doing and ask what differentiation is already in place and what happens when DD finishes a task. I get a feeling she gets to go and play rather than being given anything else. Beyond that I'm not sure what an effective approach is. I'm so nervous about the teacher not being pleased that I'm bringing this up and I need to plan what I'm going to say to make sure it doesn't come across as critical of the school or that I think DD is a genius (which she really is not!).

I'd find out when the parents evening is. Often it's earlier for year 1 children, and it's a great opportunity to ask these questions.

Sometimes schools share their year-long learning plan online via the website, or possibly a newsletter. If you haven't looked, check there.

If there isn't any communication from school, just nip your head in at the end of the day and ask for a quick chat. You could word it that you're unsure what they're learning about in each area, and wondered whether DC had lost any communication in her school bag... something like that.

You don't need to mention you think she's bored at this stage, but it's worth a conversation with the teacher do you can start to build up a relationship. It's clear they're differentiating by the fact she's in year 2 for phonics. Also, they might be providing further learning through their provision 'play' - which to the untrained eye may look like playing shops (for example) - but actually they're learning language, counting, currency, reading, life skills, etc..

As an ex-year 1 teacher, I'd be thrilled that my parents were so keen on wanting to support their children, so you won't go far wrong making it known you care!

I had a very similar experience with my DD at the start of Y1 - she was coming home saying she was bored and the work was easy.

What I did was encouraged DD to finish the work set quickly (but carefully enough as well!) and then go and ask for something a bit harder. That way, the teacher could see that she was ready for more, without me having to be 'that' parent. It also taught DD to develop her confidence and skills of persuasion!

It didn't work perfectly - the teacher often asked DD to help other children, and whilst this had an element of useful learning in it for the mentor, it was a bit tricky, socially. It got us through to the first parents' evening though.

Differentiation is a dirty word. It’s all adaptation now. And yes the curriculum has changed. When I started teaching we’d have higher ability children doing maths work 2 or 3 years above. All about depth now and problem solving. So not necessarily about the speed they are doing things in but the ability and understanding within that.

Where I was a governor, we had tasks broken down by teachers and DC would do hard, harder, hardest or Herculean tasks. They did work according to ability and lots of it was in depth learning about a topic for the brightest. Therefore you need to ask about the curriculum and what progress and attainment your DD is assessed as having. You should have a curriculum overview and you certainly can help her with it.

DC should never go off and play if they have finished their work. This is very lazy of any teacher. There should always be more a Dc can do to broaden learning.

They should have assessed her before half term. So talk to the teacher about what is next. Also work on what she’s not so good at. I don’t think there is anything wrong with learning more at home. It’s what bright DC thrive on.

Actually play based learning is very important in reception and year 1, so the teacher isn't being lazy.

My DDs didn’t play in y1. There was no play area, except the playground. EYFS yes. Completely different. Depends what you mean by play. The poster says playing when witk is finished. That’s not learning through play. It’s playing. So not acceptable. There should always be extension to work Dc can do. Always.

Children in Y1 should absolutely be playing for a good proportion of their school day. It shouldn't be a reward for finishing other tasks.

@Hobbi Having read the very lengthy curriculum statement for our local brilliant infants school, the word “play”
is not there at all for KS1 curriculum. Practical investigation certainly is using inside and outside resources. This investigation is directed and not play in the conventional sense. Especially important for maths and science, as I would expect. So perhaps some DC in some schools learn through play after EYFS but our school doesn’t use play in their ks1 document. We are a high achieving LA and area though. Ofsted have certainly linked play and learning in EYFS. Again, as you would expect.

@TizerorFizz maybe my use of the word 'should' is in the context of what evidence-informed practice says is best for children. Just as your use of 'high achieving' is in the context of the expectations of the Gradgrind otherwise known as the contemporary, abusive curriculum.

TizeroFizz just because a school doesn't use the word 'play' doesn't mean the children don't !

@overmydeadbody
I think it does. As my DC went there. I do think they mean practical and investigation.

The type of differentiation you describe in your first post is very out of fashion now.

These things go in cycles, but at the moment, giving children very different tasks based on ability, and planning multiple resources for each activity is very much seen as not the way to do things.

In theory, now, teachers should teach to the top and scaffold down, but in practice, I think this often ends up as teaching to the upper-middle ability and scaffolding down.

We had DC who needed a lot of revision to get on the first rung @Postapocalypticcowgirl Never mind scaffolding down! There seems to be an assumption that DC are a shoal of fish. All swimming together with the same intelligence. Looking at any school, that’s not the case. There are attainment and progress differences. A DC headed to a top grammar is always going to need more than a Dc needing help to access a topic. Fashion is not always right either.

It’s not about fashion, although it is, it’s about what the government direct you to do. You can’t use the word differentiation in any documents anymore. Those that don’t get it you give them more to ‘keep up.’ What do you want you SEN children to achieve in this lesson? The same as everyone else…whatever that looks like and how you scaffold it and how you attain the output.

In honesty it’s a more sane way to run things given the lack of overall TA support you have now. I couldn’t differentiate five ways if I wanted to. Who is going to get them to do it? More I just adapt the work for particular children. And yes Year 1 should be having continuous provision some of the time…that’s when they actually practice the skills you are teaching them.

And yes the government thinking now is to treat them all like a shoal of fish…but acknowledging the different places in that race and adapting accordingly.

Adapting. Differentiation. Same thing in many ways. It’s just word soup. It’s still the case the very bright need a different diet from the less bright. It is as most parents think, the bright are failed. At least where I was a governor a real effort was made for those Dc too.

They are different and it reflects the current issue of the education system. Everyone stays within the learning of the year group. Problem with that take it up with the government. It you are accelerating children beyond their year group you will be slaughtered. To some people that may look like failing the brightest p/m but it’s the way it is.

Out of curiosity what’s the argument in favour of the current approach for those familiar with the new government guidance?

Do any teachers on the thread find it an effective means of challenging the most able?

When done well, yes. I like to think I do it well most of the time.

When we were learning long multiplication, 2/3 of the class took 2 weeks to master the basic skill. The other third took between 5 minutes and a week. From lesson 2, these children were allowed/encouraged to move on to applying the skill to various problems of different challenge level (some children only took on the skill easily because they'd been tutored, and not all of them were natural problem solvers). Each lesson had different types of problem: multi-step word problems, missing number problems, real-life money problems. In one lesson only the competent children tutored the less competent, leaving me free to identify how strong their knowledge actually was by assessing the language used.

It can be done well. I think that fortnight was more meaningful than any three-way differentiated set of work a la pre-2014 curriculum. But it is easy to get it wrong, and people saying "differentiation is a dirty word" doesn't help, because it sounds as if we need to throw baby out with the bathwater. Kids with SEND need adaptations. Kids who are struggling or excelling need adaptations. Call it differentiation or whatever you like, it's best practise.

It’s probably better. The brightest get enhanced understanding and competence in what they are doing. To some it may look like keeping them still but it isn’t. It is on the side of depth. In most ways it’s just tweaked work for different levels to allow them all to succeed in different ways.

So they are being given more challenging work within the topic related to problem solving. What happens if that’s not a challenge though? They do that for a couple of weeks all the same?

@AuroraCake
I never said schools should promote DC beyond the curriculum for the year group. I’ve seen it done twice for DC who went to Cambridge for maths. Another DC who did the same wasn’t given work from the more advanced curriculum. I understand giving work in greater depth. Hence my description of Herculean work! It takes very good teachers to do it though.

Peer to peer working is great for bright DC to explain concepts to other dc when used well. The Sutton Trust says it’s hugely effective for pp children who need extra. It does take organisation but has great benefits.

That's just standard stuff stuff. How it's better then anyone else I don't know. It's the way things generally work.

It happens I'm sure but the children are never as competent as they think and they often miss the nuance of the wording or something. If they just keep going and it really isn't a challenge. Get them to teach someone else. That will be a challenge.

@AuroraCake interesting.

My DD is at an academically selective private school and they do a combination of things. The entire year group is actually working ahead of the national curriculum as standard. Those needing additional challenge do problem solving work and open ended investigative tasks as well as acceleration (so often same topic but working with larger numbers that comes later in the curriculum for instance).

I can see the approach outlined working for the vast majority in state school but I think it would definitely still leave the brightest children without enough challenge. That was really the main reason we chose private school though the cost means I'm always questioning to better understand state provision.